Spezza turns 31 Friday and he will eventually get his wish, traded away to a franchise which is likely much closer to winning the Stanley Cup than the Ottawa Senators are. For a player who has never been on a championship team, getting his name on the Cup is something he is said to want very badly.

If you’re handicapping the Spezza horse race, the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks are now the clear favourites. There’s a secondary group, believed to include the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, which can be considered dark horses.

While it might be tough for some fans to digest the pending loss of yet another captain, an 11-year veteran star who at one time might have appeared to be a Senators lifer, it was inevitable.

That much was clear at the end of season exit meetings and interviews. The words that were said by owner Eugene Melnyk and general manager Bryan Murray and the words that were left unsaid (including Spezza’s pregnant pause when asked if he felt underappreciated in Ottawa) began the speculation that he was on the market.

The ordeal is an emotional one for Murray, who is about to lose another core piece from the Senators squad that advanced to the 2007 Stanley Cup finals when he was coach. At the same time, it’s also about business for Murray; going public with Spezza’s trade request in order to drive up the trade price as much as possible.

And for the No. 19 haters out there, chew on this: Spezza is doing the Senators a favour by asking out now. If he didn’t, the Senators would have been caught between a puck and a hard place: re-sign him to another lucrative, long-term contract or allow him to play out the final year of his existing contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Both would have been risky paths.

A new deal would have handcuffed Murray financially due to Melnyk’s unwillingness to spend anywhere near the salary cap. Spezza’s history of back problems would also be looming in the background.

If the Senators had opted to let Spezza play out the one year and $4 million ($7 million salary cap hit) remaining on his contract, they would get nothing in return before he became an unrestricted free agent next summer. That makes little sense. Is there anyone out there who truly believes the Senators can win the Stanley Cup next season?

Regardless of where Spezza is traded, the combination of players, prospects and/or draft picks the Senators receive in return will be younger. Like it or not, the message will be about rebuilding. Wherever he lands, Spezza will be keeping an eye on existing centres Kyle Turris and Mika Zibanejad, to see how much criticism they inherit with him no longer the chief target.

The trade away from Ottawa will be a move away from being a poster boy for everything that goes right, and more often lately, wrong, for the team.

Should Spezza land in Anaheim, he would not displace Ryan Getzlaf as the No. 1 centre. He would slide behind him as the second line centre, while perhaps serving as a de facto No. 1 on the power play if Getzlaf continues to play a point position.

Three weeks ago, the Citizen suggested that the Senators could be looking at either Andrew Cogliano or Nick Bonino as one of three pieces in a trade package for Spezza. The Ducks also have two first round draft picks – including the 10th overall selection they acquired from the Senators in the Bobby Ryan trade – one of which would likely be part of any deal.

If Spezza went to St. Louis, he would be surrounded by a group of forwards who can skate, hit and hustle with the rest of the best in the Western Conference. Yet they averaged only 2.3 goals per game and the power play was a miserable 6.9 per cent in their first round playoff exit. What the Blues are missing is a highly skilled veteran, front-line centre. Hmmm. Anybody you know fit that description?

If the Blues were willing to part with centre Patrik Berglund, the Senators would no doubt be interested. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, Berglund took a step back in 2013-14, but he’s the same size as Spezza and has potential. The Blues also have an embarrassment of riches on defence. Kevin Shattenkirk, who starred at Boston University while playing alongside current Senators defenceman Eric Gryba, and Ian Cole could be available as part of a package.

It is time to play the name game, in terms of who could be in a Senators uniform next season.

It’s another new day for the Senators franchise. It just happens to also be Jason Spezza’s birthday and the Senators can only hope for many happy returns when he’s gone.

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